JALAN AMPANG MUSLIM CEMETERY AS KUALA LUMPUR’S DARK TOURISM SITE: A TRANSFORMATIVE INSIGHT
Abstract
As the first established Muslim cemetery in Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Ampang Muslim Cemetery (JAMC) holds the city’s past. Since the establishment of JAMC, the graveyard has not received much attention from the public authority, leading to its derelict state. Hence, there is a need to revive and highlight the existence of JAMC as more than a purpose of commemoration and a resting place for local celebrities, politicians, aristocrats, and royals. The study argues that this can be achieved by incorporating dark tourism at JAMC as a renewal measure. Apart from its historical significance, JAMC has also displayed an abundance of greenery within a highly urbanised area, which can attract public attention. This study evaluates the possibility of opening JAMC as a dark tourism spot based on the public’s views. Partial least squares structural equation modelling analysed data from distributed questionnaires, and based on the research findings, the respondents, to some degree, agreed with making the historical cemetery a dark tourism site. However, some respondents are concerned about accessibility and the amenities available at JAMC. The results show that the opening of this historic cemetery as a place of interest is achievable by addressing these two main issues.
References
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Stone, P. R. (2006). A dark tourism spectrum: Towards a typology of death and macabre related tourist sites, attractions and exhibitions. Tourism: An International Interdisciplinary Journal, 54(2), 145-160.
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Ware, S., & Hudson, C. (2010). Death in Borneo: Australian national identity, war and the transnational imagination. ACCESS: Critical Perspectives on Communication, Cultural & Policy Studies, 29(1), 55-70.
Young, C., & Light, D. (2016). Interrogating spaces of and for the dead as ‘alternative space’: cemeteries, corpses and sites of Dark Tourism. International Review of Social Research, 6(2), 61-7
Craig, Y., & Duncan, L. (2016). Interrogating spaces of and for the dead as ‘alternative space’: cemeteries, corpses and sites of Dark Tourism. International Review of Social Research, 6(2), 61-72.
Daul, K. (2018). Père-Lachaise Cemetery. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Pere-Lachaise-Cemetery.
Ferdhaus, M., Zainol, H., Abd Rahim, A., & Muhammad, Z. (2021). Locations & Patterns of Public Space Conflict in the Unesco World Heritage Site George Town, Penang, Malaysia. Malaysian Journal of Sustainable Environment; Vol 8 No 1 (2021): MySE.Vol.8.No.1DO - 10.24191/myse.v8i2.13233. Retrieved from https://myjms.mohe.gov.my/index.php/myse/article/view/13233
Foley, L. (2021). The haunted history of New Orleans: An exploration of the intersectionality between dark tourism, Black history, and public history. Rowan University.
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39-50.
Foursquare. (2017). Tanah Perkuburan Islam, Jalan Ampang. Retrieved from https://foursquare.com/v/tanah-perkuburan-islam-jalan ampang/4d16b7f3302da1cdd126b793.
Godis, N., & Nilsson, J. H. (2018). Memory tourism in a contested landscape: exploring identity discourses in Lviv, Ukraine. Current Issues in Tourism, 21(15), 1690-1709.
Hair, J. F., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2011). PLS-SEM: Indeed a silver bullet. Journal of Marketing theory & Practice, 19(2), 139-152.
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C., & Sarstedt, M. (2016). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications, Los Angeles.
Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review. Vol. 31, No. 1, pp. 2-24.
Henseler, J., Hubona, G., & Ray, P. A. (2016). Using PLS path modeling in new technology research: updated guidelines. Industrial Management & Data Systems. Vol. 116, No. 1, pp. 2-20.
Light, D. (2017). Progress in dark tourism and thanatourism research: An uneasy relationship with heritage tourism. Tourism Management, 61, 275-301.
Mandal, P., & Vong, J. (2016). Development of tourism and the hospitality industry in Southeast Asia. Springer Singapore.
Martini, A., & Buda, D. M. (2020). Dark tourism and affect: Framing places of death and disaster. Current Issues in Tourism, 23(6), 679-692.
Masanti, M. (2016). Understanding dark tourism acceptance in Southeast Asia: The case of WWII Sandakan–Ranau Death March, Sabah, Malaysia. In P. Mandal & J. Vong (Eds.), Development of tourism and the hospitality industry in Southeast Asia (pp. 113-125). Singapore: Springer Singapore.
Mazalan, R. (2018, October 15). Jalan Ampang tumpuan pelancong. Berita Harian Online. Retrieved from https://www.bharian.com.my/hujung-minggu/santai/2018/10/486287/jalan-ampang-tumpuan-pelancong.
Millán, G. D., Rojas, R. D. H., & García, J. S. R. (2019). Analysis of the demand of dark tourism: A case study in Córdoba (Spain). Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 10(1), 161.
Miller, D. S., & Rivera, J. D. (2006). Hallowed ground, place, and culture: The cemetery and the creation of place. Space & Culture, 9(4), 334-350.
Ming Hui, J. O., & Bahauddin, A. (2019). Biophilic Design in Heritage Indoor Co-Working Space in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. Malaysian Journal of Sustainable Environment; Vol 6 No 2 (2019): MySE.Vol.6.No.2DO - 10.24191/myse.v6i2.8683. Retrieved from https://myjms.mohe.gov.my/index.php/myse/article/view/8683
Mionel, V. (2020). (Not so) dark tourism: The Merry cemetery in Săpânţa (Romania): An expression of folk culture. Tourism Management Perspectives, 34, 100656.
Mundt, C. A. (2015). Motivation and behaviour in cemetery tourism: a case study of Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin, Ireland. (Masters) University College Dublin.
Nordh, H., & Evensen, K. H. (2018). Qualities and Functions Ascribed to Urban Cemeteries across the Capital Cities of Scandinavia. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening.
Nordh, H., Stahl Olafsson, A., Kajosaari, A., Præstholm, S., Liu, Y., Rossi, S., & Gentin, S. (2022). Similar spaces, different usage : A comparative study on how residents in the capitals of Finland and Denmark use cemeteries as recreational landscapes. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 73, 127598.
Pécsek, B. (2015). City cemeteries as cultural attractions: towards an understanding of foreign visitors’ attitude at the National Graveyard in Budapest. The Central European Journal of Regional Development Tourism, 7(1), 44-61.
Pratt, S., Tolkach, D., & Kirillova, K. (2019). Tourism & death. Annals of Tourism Research, 78, 102758.
Project for Public Spaces. (2009). What makes a successful place? Retrieved from https://www.pps.org/article/grplacefeat.
Ramli, N. A., Latan, H., & Nartea, G. V. (2018). Why should PLS-SEM be used rather than regression? Evidence from the capital structure perspective. In: Avkiran, N., Ringle, C. (eds) Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. International Series in Operations Research & Management Science, vol 267, pp. 171-209. Springer, Cham.
Restnrileks. (2009, 20 September 2009). Kubur Jalan Ampang. Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/29407161@N05/3936897752.
Roark, R. (2018). Spectacular solitude, city, and self in Père-Lachaise Cemetery. Studies in the History of Gardens & Designed Landscapes, 38(2), 97-115.
Salehuddin Mohd Zahari, M., Hafiz Hanafiah, M., & Syafeera Syed Mahboob, S. (2016). Dark tourism: is it a growth segment for the Malaysia tourism industry? Tourism & Hospitality Management, 22(1), 47-56.
Sallay, Á., Mikházi, Z., Gecséné Tar, I., & Takács, K. (2022). Cemeteries as a part of green infrastructure and tourism. Sustainability. 14(5), 2918.
Seaton, T. (2009). Thanatourism and its discontents: an appraisal of a decade's work some future issues and directions. Paper presented at the The Sage handbook of tourism studies.
Stone, P. R. (2006). A dark tourism spectrum: Towards a typology of death and macabre related tourist sites, attractions and exhibitions. Tourism: An International Interdisciplinary Journal, 54(2), 145-160.
Stone, P. R. (2009). Making absent death present: Consuming dark tourism in contemporary society. In R. Sharpley & P. R. Stone (Eds.), The darker side of travel (pp. 23-38). Bristol, Blue Ridge Summit: Channel View Publications.
Tan, G. A., & Lim, S. (2018). The “Pearl of the Orient” as a dark tourism destination in Malaysia. International Journal of Tourism Cities. Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 68-80.
The Stationary Office (2001). The Government Reply to the Eighth Report from the Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Committee, Session 2000-2001 HC91: Cemeteries. London: The Stationary Office.
Tripadvisor. (2020). Jalan Ampang Muslim Cemetery. Retrieved from https://www.tripadvisor.com.my/Attraction_Review-g298570-d20343923-Reviews-Jalan_Ampang_Muslim_Cemetery-Kuala_Lumpur_Wilayah_Persekutuan.html.
United Nations. (2021a). SDG 11 issue brief: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. Retrieved from https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/25763/SDG11_Brief.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.
United Nations. (2021b). The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2021. Retrieved from https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2021/The-Sustainable-Development-Goals-Report-2021.pdf.
Vanderstraeten, R. (2014). Burying and remembering the dead. Memory Studies, 7(4), 457-471.
Ware, S., & Hudson, C. (2010). Death in Borneo: Australian national identity, war and the transnational imagination. ACCESS: Critical Perspectives on Communication, Cultural & Policy Studies, 29(1), 55-70.
Young, C., & Light, D. (2016). Interrogating spaces of and for the dead as ‘alternative space’: cemeteries, corpses and sites of Dark Tourism. International Review of Social Research, 6(2), 61-7
Published
2023-08-31
How to Cite
MOHAMED AFLA, Mohamad Reza; MOHAMED JAMRI, Bilal; IBRAHIM, Putri Haryati.
JALAN AMPANG MUSLIM CEMETERY AS KUALA LUMPUR’S DARK TOURISM SITE: A TRANSFORMATIVE INSIGHT.
Malaysian Journal of Sustainable Environment, [S.l.], v. 10, n. 2, p. 179-204, aug. 2023.
ISSN 0128-326X.
Available at: <https://myjms.mohe.gov.my/index.php/myse/article/view/23636>. Date accessed: 14 sep. 2024.
doi: https://doi.org/10.24191/myse.v10i2.23636.
Section
Articles
